I love smells. A good smell can give you an instant natural high, and totally change your attitude & state of mind. In a very special edition of the Power 12, here are my top 12 favorite smells listed in inverse order.
12.) Gasoline, and Car Exhaust
What is it about this smell that makes it so good? I can't figure it out, but it is just inherently good. When I was a kid, I used to enjoy sticking my nose right next to the tailpipe of a running car just to suck in the wonderful smell of exhaust. Apparently that can kill you, but at least it's pleasant-smelling.
11.) Sauteing onion & green pepper in butter
I do this whenever I'm preparing my favorite spanish rice dish. Just do it sometime & add it to any dish: one green pepper & one onion (chopped up, of course) in one melted stick of butter in a frying pan over a stove. You don't even have to eat it -- it just smells great!
10.) Florist Shoppes
I love the fresh smell of stepping into a florist shoppe. But beyond the smell, it just feels good for a guy to step into this place to buy flowers for his woman. Florist shoppes have the affirming smell of, "I'm about to make a special lady REALLY happy in a minute!" :)
9.) New car smell
This is sort of a stalwart of favorite smells lists, and it deserves to be listed here.
8.) New book smell
There's nothing else like opening up a brand new book & inhaling that inspiring smell. It's a bold scent that silently screams, "You're about to receive a lot of new knowledge and get SMARTER!"
7.) Cinnamon Brooms
Publix grocery stores here in Florida carry these things every fall. You buy a couple & place them strategically in your house, and the sweet smell of cinnamon will permeate through air. Pure serenity.
6.) Girls' Hair
Ahhhhh, the sweet & fruity smell of a recently shampooed head of female hair. It's intoxicating! One of the most frustratingly tantalizing smells that exists for a single dude trying to stay pure.
5.) Barbeque Joints
Is there any walk that is more exciting than the walk from the car to the door of your favorite BBQ joint? Okay, maybe the walk to the ballpark -- that one's more exciting. But with that great scent of expertly-grilled meat wafting through the air, it's just an exhilirating smell.
4.) French Vanilla Candles
That's right -- I like to burn candles. I'm a dude, and I stink, and I'd like to smell something more pleasant than my own smelly behind from time to time. As for french vanilla, it's just the best candle smell. Bottom line: I've never spent money on a french vanilla candle & regretted it.
3.) Fresh Laundry
I think we could probably all agree on this one.
2.) The Scent of a Ballpark
I need to clarify here. I'm not talking about the kind of mammoth structures that I visited on my Pilgrimage. I'm talking about your average, ordinary set of ball fields: whether softball, little league baseball, high school ball, etc. Places where you can actually catch the scent of the dirt, and the pine tar, and the gloves. There's just something about the smell of a good ballpark that just fires me up.
1.) Crisp Fall Day
This is simply the best smell there is. It brings me to LIFE! It is the scent of relief & refreshing after a long, oppressive summer. And the best is that FIRST fall day where there is no humidity and you just can't get enough deep breaths. It is almost always my very favorite day of the year. It's a fundamentally depression-proof day!
If you're friends with me, chances are you've heard me talk about this. I was on the phone yesterday with some college friends of mine from 8 or 9 years ago (Justin & Kristen), and they were excitedly relating to me about how they had their first fall day a few days ago. They opened up all the windows in their house & they said that they thought of me. I'm so jealous. I can't wait to have mine. :)
What are your favorite smells?
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
Sunday, September 21, 2008
Power 12: Economic Meltdown Edition
1.) Southern Cal
2.) Florida
3.) Oklahoma
4.) Georgia
5.) Missouri
6.) LSU
7.) Alabama
I'm still not comfortable ranking them this high with shaky QB play. But with how physical the Tide plays, does anyone really want to line up against them?
8.) Texas
9.) Wisconsin
10.) BYU
Outscored opponents 103-0 the last two weeks. Gotta show 'em love.
11.) Penn State
12.) Ohio State
Buckeyes in full-scale rebuilding mode.
KNOCKIN' ON THE DOOR
Auburn
I had already bumped them out last week. But they still look physical & tough despite that silly offense they run.
DROPPED OUT
East Carolina
It was a good run, Pirates. But that WVU win looks a lot less impressive now, and you gotta beat teams like N.C. State to stay in the Power 12.
2.) Florida
3.) Oklahoma
4.) Georgia
5.) Missouri
6.) LSU
7.) Alabama
I'm still not comfortable ranking them this high with shaky QB play. But with how physical the Tide plays, does anyone really want to line up against them?
8.) Texas
9.) Wisconsin
10.) BYU
Outscored opponents 103-0 the last two weeks. Gotta show 'em love.
11.) Penn State
12.) Ohio State
Buckeyes in full-scale rebuilding mode.
KNOCKIN' ON THE DOOR
Auburn
I had already bumped them out last week. But they still look physical & tough despite that silly offense they run.
DROPPED OUT
East Carolina
It was a good run, Pirates. But that WVU win looks a lot less impressive now, and you gotta beat teams like N.C. State to stay in the Power 12.
Thursday, September 18, 2008
Mourning Through "The First's"
I remember it like it was yesterday.
Last September, Alabama was hosting Arkansas for an annual game that usually ends up being a "tell" game for how well each team is probably going to fare for the rest of the season. It was the primetime game on ESPN.
We had just moved Mom home a couple months prior to that. The cancer had spread to her brain, and she hadn't been doing too well. August was a particularly somber month, because we had been expecting that she might die very soon. We were very concerned. But with the coming of September her health & strength had started to improve some. So on a mid-September evening, she stayed up late with me to root on her Alma Mater against the Hogs.
It was an exciting game. Alabama came out of the gate hot, and amassed an early 3-touchdown lead. But the Razorbacks had two dynamic running backs. And between those two guys & a couple of big mistakes by Alabama, Arkansas came roaring back to take the lead.
There were only a couple minutes left in the game, and Alabama had to drive the length of the field to win the game. QB John Parker Wilson led the Tide all the way down the field. And then this play happened...
It was one of those moments where, as a fan, you lose all sense of sanity & decorum. I jumped up like a maniac, started slapping the ottoman with both hands, and as the kids say, I went ape. I started screaming at the top of my lungs, "HE CAUGHT THAT BALL!! HE CAUGHT THAT BALL! OH MY GOSH, HE CAUGHT THAT BALL!!!"
Mama just started laughing. She thought it was so funny how excited I got over that play. But she had her moments in that game, too, as well as other games. Mom would always get excited when the little guy would bust free for a big play. She wouldn't go ape like I would, she would just sort of ball up & let out an excited squeal. This play especially, from last year's LSU game, with the fan reaction in the background, reminds me of how Mom got excited over big plays:
That's a warm memory. But it's one that makes me cry as I typed it out because Mom's not with me anymore. You see, football is a big deal to our family. It starts with my mother's mother -- Mama Jean. She is simply a fanatic. Most grandmothers, when you call them want to know who you're dating & what's happening in your life. Mine? She wants to talk about the quarterback situation up in Tide Town. At one time, it was such a joke among my friends that our fantasy baseball league was named, "Philip's Gramma Loves Bama." All of my cousins are gigantic Alabama fans. It unites us even more than religion. Literally. They're all Mormon. Football is a big part of our life.
Folks always say that the first time to experience things without a loved one are difficult. I think that's true, but it's different for different folks. Some of my friends were really kind in wanting to take my sister & I out for dinner on what was recently my Mom's birthday, September 4th. But that wasn't that big of a deal to me. That was Mom's day, not my day. So it wasn't that upsetting a day on the calendar for me.
My sister had a nostalgic time last weekend. A well-connected & wealthy friend of our's has luxury box season tickets to Alabama home games, and he gave them to us for the Western Kentucky game this past weekend (just because he didn't care to go). As Katie & I drove into Tuscaloosa, Katie marveled as we drove past The McFarland Blvd Mall. She remembered out loud shopping in those stores with Mom & eating at the Morrison's there with her. When we got on campus, she wanted to make a point to think about Mom. When we passed by some of the business & accounting buildings, we talked about how Mom had had some classes in there. Everything in T-Town reminded her of Mom, but it really didn't have the same affect for me. I've been to plenty of 'Bama games without Mom; Katie, however, was usually there with Mom. And while my Mom's relationship to the school played an integral part in developing my fanhood, it wasn't as personal of an experience for me as it was for Katie.
However, the fact that Alabama is traveling to play Arkansas this weekend seems significant to me for the fact that we shared that great moment together last year. I know that they're going to replay that play at some point during the game. Just thinking about the fact that I'm going through a football season without Mom makes me sort of sad. Mainly just because that I won't ever get to hear that excited squeal again.
They say the Holiday's & the Birthday's are tough. That'll probably be true. But just watching a ballgame this Saturday -- something that is normally nothing more than a simple pleasure -- will hold a lot more meaning to me this year.
Last September, Alabama was hosting Arkansas for an annual game that usually ends up being a "tell" game for how well each team is probably going to fare for the rest of the season. It was the primetime game on ESPN.
We had just moved Mom home a couple months prior to that. The cancer had spread to her brain, and she hadn't been doing too well. August was a particularly somber month, because we had been expecting that she might die very soon. We were very concerned. But with the coming of September her health & strength had started to improve some. So on a mid-September evening, she stayed up late with me to root on her Alma Mater against the Hogs.
It was an exciting game. Alabama came out of the gate hot, and amassed an early 3-touchdown lead. But the Razorbacks had two dynamic running backs. And between those two guys & a couple of big mistakes by Alabama, Arkansas came roaring back to take the lead.
There were only a couple minutes left in the game, and Alabama had to drive the length of the field to win the game. QB John Parker Wilson led the Tide all the way down the field. And then this play happened...
It was one of those moments where, as a fan, you lose all sense of sanity & decorum. I jumped up like a maniac, started slapping the ottoman with both hands, and as the kids say, I went ape. I started screaming at the top of my lungs, "HE CAUGHT THAT BALL!! HE CAUGHT THAT BALL! OH MY GOSH, HE CAUGHT THAT BALL!!!"
Mama just started laughing. She thought it was so funny how excited I got over that play. But she had her moments in that game, too, as well as other games. Mom would always get excited when the little guy would bust free for a big play. She wouldn't go ape like I would, she would just sort of ball up & let out an excited squeal. This play especially, from last year's LSU game, with the fan reaction in the background, reminds me of how Mom got excited over big plays:
That's a warm memory. But it's one that makes me cry as I typed it out because Mom's not with me anymore. You see, football is a big deal to our family. It starts with my mother's mother -- Mama Jean. She is simply a fanatic. Most grandmothers, when you call them want to know who you're dating & what's happening in your life. Mine? She wants to talk about the quarterback situation up in Tide Town. At one time, it was such a joke among my friends that our fantasy baseball league was named, "Philip's Gramma Loves Bama." All of my cousins are gigantic Alabama fans. It unites us even more than religion. Literally. They're all Mormon. Football is a big part of our life.
Folks always say that the first time to experience things without a loved one are difficult. I think that's true, but it's different for different folks. Some of my friends were really kind in wanting to take my sister & I out for dinner on what was recently my Mom's birthday, September 4th. But that wasn't that big of a deal to me. That was Mom's day, not my day. So it wasn't that upsetting a day on the calendar for me.
My sister had a nostalgic time last weekend. A well-connected & wealthy friend of our's has luxury box season tickets to Alabama home games, and he gave them to us for the Western Kentucky game this past weekend (just because he didn't care to go). As Katie & I drove into Tuscaloosa, Katie marveled as we drove past The McFarland Blvd Mall. She remembered out loud shopping in those stores with Mom & eating at the Morrison's there with her. When we got on campus, she wanted to make a point to think about Mom. When we passed by some of the business & accounting buildings, we talked about how Mom had had some classes in there. Everything in T-Town reminded her of Mom, but it really didn't have the same affect for me. I've been to plenty of 'Bama games without Mom; Katie, however, was usually there with Mom. And while my Mom's relationship to the school played an integral part in developing my fanhood, it wasn't as personal of an experience for me as it was for Katie.
However, the fact that Alabama is traveling to play Arkansas this weekend seems significant to me for the fact that we shared that great moment together last year. I know that they're going to replay that play at some point during the game. Just thinking about the fact that I'm going through a football season without Mom makes me sort of sad. Mainly just because that I won't ever get to hear that excited squeal again.
They say the Holiday's & the Birthday's are tough. That'll probably be true. But just watching a ballgame this Saturday -- something that is normally nothing more than a simple pleasure -- will hold a lot more meaning to me this year.
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
A Little Epiphany
A Facebook buddy of mine had a status update a couple minutes ago that just rocked my world.
Donald P----- S------ says that life is all about change, and if the "NEW" facebook bothers you that much, it might be an indication of your false sense of control over things...
Donald speaks truth...
Donald P----- S------ says that life is all about change, and if the "NEW" facebook bothers you that much, it might be an indication of your false sense of control over things...
Donald speaks truth...
Addicted to Springsteen
I'm not writing as much lately here because I don't have my computer. Hopefully I'll get it back later this week. But I do have some good blog thoughts saved up to write about whenever I get the laptop back.
In the meantime, maybe you'll enjoy this. I'm on a big Springsteen kick right now. I never appreciated his music before, but I've just really started to admire some of the sounds he puts together. Here's a good little spiritual with a Cajun flavor:
In the meantime, maybe you'll enjoy this. I'm on a big Springsteen kick right now. I never appreciated his music before, but I've just really started to admire some of the sounds he puts together. Here's a good little spiritual with a Cajun flavor:
Sunday, September 14, 2008
Power 12: Hurricane Ike Edition
1.) Southern Cal
They always dominate in their non-conference schedule & bowl games. They will now procede to play down to the level of their competition in conference play.
2.) Florida
3.) Oklahoma
OU quarterback had more TD passes than he had incompletions against Washington.
4.) Georgia
Carolina always plays Georgia tough.
5.) Missouri
6.) LSU
7.) Texas
8.) East Carolina
9.) Wisconsin
10.) Alabama
11.) Ohio State
12.) BYU
How good of a coach is Rick Neuheisel again? Not very...
DROPPED OUT
Auburn
The only thing worse than Auburn's offense is Mississippi State's.
They always dominate in their non-conference schedule & bowl games. They will now procede to play down to the level of their competition in conference play.
2.) Florida
3.) Oklahoma
OU quarterback had more TD passes than he had incompletions against Washington.
4.) Georgia
Carolina always plays Georgia tough.
5.) Missouri
6.) LSU
7.) Texas
8.) East Carolina
9.) Wisconsin
10.) Alabama
11.) Ohio State
12.) BYU
How good of a coach is Rick Neuheisel again? Not very...
DROPPED OUT
Auburn
The only thing worse than Auburn's offense is Mississippi State's.
Thursday, September 11, 2008
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